"I feel more like a pitcher": The Refinement of Brian Johnson

by Tim BrittonJournal Sports Writer

Wednesday

Apr 22, 2015 at 12:13 PM

PAWTUCKET, R.I. — A year ago, Brian Johnson fought against the public perception of him.

"You know, everyone says I should be well-groomed because I went to college and this and that," Johnson said last May. "This is my second full year of just being a pitcher. When people want to say I should be well-developed and should have all these pieces in line, I didn’t call my own game in college."

Close to 12 months later, Johnson feels differently.

"For me, from how I felt a year ago to now, I feel more like a pitcher," Johnson said after his latest start, an abbreviated, two-hit shutout over seven innings in Tuesday's doubleheader opener. "I know what I want to throw right when I get the ball. Sometimes last year, especially in the beginning of the year, it was, 'What do I want to go with here?' Now it's, 'I know what I want to go with because I saw that swing or I saw that take.'"

Johnson's versatile repertoire and his swift pace have always made him an uncomfortable at-bat for hitters. Now, though, the left-hander is pitching with even greater conviction than before. He has long been able to throw any pitch in any count, preventing hitters from predicting what's coming. He's now throwing the right pitch in any count.

That started last season in Portland in pitching coach Bob Kipper's office, where the two would break down video together and talk about reading swings. Often considered the province of the catcher, reading swings can be just as valuable for the man on the hill.

"The hitters are constantly giving you information, and it's not verbal," said Kipper, who like Johnson has moved to Pawtucket this season. "It's through a swing, through a take, a facial expression, body language. We have to be as a pitcher in a game situation in tune with that. They're going to tell you when they're cheating to a fastball. They're going to tell you when they're getting comfortable to a speed. They're going to tell you those things."

This is what minor-league refinement looks like. While Johnson's four-pitch repertoire has appeared relatively polished since the day he was drafted, it's these ancillary aspects of pitching that he understood eluded him a year ago, and which he's spent those 12 months learning.

"It's just getting comfortable," he said. "For me, going to my first big-league camp [this year], my first couple of weeks I was seeing my way through things. By the end, I felt like I knew how to approach things a little bit different — stuff Wade Miley would tell or certain guys would talk to me about that I can carry over here."

One thing Johnson has used more since the spring is a two-seam fastball that he worked on with major-league pitching coach Juan Nieves. It's one more weapon that Johnson can use to miss barrels and generate weak contact. He started throwing it predominantly in 0-2 counts as a waste pitch. Now that he's learned how to control it, he's throwing it earlier in counts for ground balls or when behind to get a hitter off his four-seamer.

"He does make for an uncomfortable at-bat because he has a fairly high level of pitchability," said Kipper. "His ability to move [the fastball] in and out makes hitter feel uncomfortable that way, and then opens the door for an effective three-pitch secondary mix. He has the confidence to do different things in different counts."

"Hitters feel a little bit rushed in there, which is a good thing as long as it's under control," manager Kevin Boles said. "We've seen that so far."

Johnson's confidence is well-earned at this point. He allowed two or fewer earned runs in 23 of his final 24 starts a season ago, and he's done the same through three starts this year. It's been 13 starts since he allowed a third earned run in a game.

"At the end of the day, it's all about the consistency in performance," Kipper said. "That starts with an individual knowing his body and his delivery better than anyone else. Brian has gotten to the point where he identifies with his rhythm and timing to the extent that he's repeating it more often.

"Brian's in a much better place now than he probably was a year ago and clearly two years ago. It isn't an accident that he's put himself in this position. It has really been by design."

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